Thursday, April 6, 2079
GET READY FOR SOME IPA BASEBALL!
79TH YEAR BEGINS TOMORROW!
The cold and dark winter has come and gone... spring is here in all its radiant sunshine and green abundance... baseball is back... and the Islandian Pro Alliance is back in business for the 2079 season... defending Pro Cup champion Turon is ready, willing and able to do it all over again... the Typhoons are again predicted to take the Tycobbian Union South Division... the forecast challengers are the Luxora Zorros in the TU North, South Fork Stallions in the TU East and Bayview Vikings in the TU West... the best in the Ruthlandian Union are the Crystal Lake Skippers of the RU South... they will have to fend off the Valmara Vipers in the RU North, Wynnamac Sundowners in the RU East and the Sligo Rovers in the RU West... come October according to
The Islandian Times Pro Cup Preseason Poll, it will be Turon taking on Crystal Lake for the much-desired IPA Pro Cup trophy.
5-TEAM QUEST IN RU NORTH, VIPERS WILL REIGN
Reviewing all the divisional races, Valmara will have a tough time in the Ruthlandian North... Taranto, LaGrange, last year's division winner and Pro Cup finalist Kilkenny and the Ranford Bulls are expected to fight it out in a very close race... the Cats still have the pitching, but they need more offense to beat out the Vipers.
SKIPPERS TO ROMP IN THE RU SOUTH RACE
The Crystal Lake Skippers have the best attack and the best mound corps in the Ruthlandian South... the Skippers are forecast to sail away with the division title in pretty easy fashion, possibly by 10 or more games... Belair Beach is rated the best of the rest, followed at a distance by Waleska, Grand City and San Dimas... Crystal Lake is the cream of the crop by a lot in the RU South.
MACS WILL PREVAIL IN RU EAST
The Wynnamac Sundowners are a solid choice in the Ruthlandian East this year... the Macs are the best-hitting team and pretty close to the best-pitching team... only the Eastshore Cotton Kings can match them... the Sundowners should take the title by 7 or so games... last year's division champ Elnora looks like a distant third-place finisher this year... the other 5 clubs will be quite a ways back in the race.
SLIGO TO REPEAT IN RU WEST IN 3-TEAM TEST
The Sligo Rovers will be contested in the Ruthlandian West by a couple of teams, the Rocky Rapids Snappers and the Forest City Firebirds, but the Rovers will triumph with more breathing room than they had last season... Sligo just barely beat out Fort Benton by one game... the Rovers mound staff will be the class of the division again and lead them to another RU West crown.
ZORROS MAY DOMINATE IN TU NORTH
There may be a new kid in town in the Tycobbian North this year - the Luxora Zorros... Hartsdale has captured the crown three times in the last four seasons, but they are nowhere in sight in the preseason predictions... the sports scribes have really become enamored with the Z's, picking them to dominate the TU North by double digits this year... runner-up White River will not be close to Luxora... Mahaska, Fairfax and North Hills are picked third, fourth and fifth respectively, but far behind the Rascals... Hartsdale will end up seventh according to the poll... it's hard to believe the Hellcats will fall that far in the standings this year... nope, I don't think that will happen.
PERENNIAL POWERHOUSE TURON HEAVILY-FAVORED IN TU SOUTH
Yep, the current IPA Pro Cup titleholder, the Turon Typhoons, are as good as ever... they have won the Tycobbian South the last 2 seasons and 7 times in the last 9 years... Turon has also won 6 Pro Cups in its history... 28 times the Typhoons have made the postseason playoffs... there's a good chance it will happen again... Turon hits well, pitches well... they are the prime power in the TU South... Summerland and Southport may be in the running for a while, but when it's all said and done, Turon will triumph by a good margin, just like they have for the last decade.
SF STALLIONS TRY FOR 3-PEAT IN TU EAST
The Islands' baseball prognosticators have made the South Fork Stallions the favorite in the Tycobbian East in the preseason poll... the Hosses have taken the flag the last two years and a third one is not beyond the realm of possibilities... South Fork is getting a little older... some of their key players are reaching the age of decline, but they may have enough for another run... the Stallions can still hold their own at the plate and on the hill... they should take the TU East again this year, whipping the second-place High Mesa Cowboys by a few games... however, it will be tougher for South Fork because age is creeping up on several of their stars... not far behind High Mesa are several quality ballclubs... Ozarka, Tuckanarra and Hillsboro are not going to roll over and play dead... all three of them will be in the hunt for the TU East flag.
BAYVIEW WINS OUT IN 6-TEAM SKIRMISH IN TU WEST
The Bayview Vikings have not graced the IPA playoffs in 6 decades... that is a very, very long playoff drought... for the last decade the Vikings have been getting a little closer each year... it's time to make their move... it won't be easy to overtake the Kenwood Wildcats, a perpetual contender for the last decade... the Wildcats won the Tycobbian West hands down last year and will be in no mood to be dethroned... Kenwood is a close second pick this year, followed by third place La Claire, fourth place Rolling Hills, fifth place Denton City and sixth place Chicopee... the TU West fans will be treated to a delightful and intriguing 6-team skirmish.
IPA PROPHETS PICK TURON OVER CRYSTAL LAKE IN 2079 PRO CUP SERIES
When all the pitches have been thrown, all the swings have been swung and all the outs have been made, the IPA prophets forecast that the Turon Typhoons of the Tycobbian Union will upend the Crystal Lake Skippers of the Ruthlandian Union in a torrid and tantalizing 7-game series for the IPA Pro Cup trophy.